Capparis micracantha (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Capparis micracantha DC.

Protologue: Prodr. 1: 247 (1824).

• Capparis odorata Blanco (1837),
• Capparis myrioneura Hallier f. (1906).

• Indonesia: balung, kledung (Javanese), sanek (Madurese)
• Malaysia: kaju tuju
• Philippines: salimbagat (Tagalog), tarabtab (Iloko), salimomo (Bisaya)
• Cambodia: kanchoen bai dach
• Laos: say sou
• Thailand: chingchee (central), kradaat khaao (central), nuat maeo daeng (northern)
• Vietnam: bùng chè, cáp gai nhỏ.

From Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, to Indonesia and the Philippines.

In the Philippines, a decoction of the roots is used in stomach-ache and as a uterine tonic after childbirth. In Indonesia, the plant has the same use as C. pyrifolia. The stem is crushed with water and applied topically to relieve pain and swellings. The pulp of the round, red to purple fruit has a sweet aromatic flavour, but is unsafe to eat when unripe.

• A half-erect shrub or small tree with drooping branches, 1-6 m tall, rarely a vine 2-4 m tall, young branches zigzag, glabrous.
• Leaves oval to oblong-lanceolate, 9.5-20 cm × 3-11 cm, base rounded, apex variable, rarely acuminate, coriaceous, shining, petiole 0.7-1.5 cm long, thorns patent, straight or slightly curved, 2-7 mm long, on flowering branches often absent.
• Flowers 2-6 in a row, pedicel about 1 cm long; sepals ovate, 5.5-13 mm long, petals oblong or elliptical, 10-26 mm long, thin, white with yellow base, later turning dark red, stamens 20-45, filaments 2.5-3 cm long, white, gynophore 15-35 mm long, ovary and gynophore sometimes abortive.
• Berry globular or ellipsoid, 2-6 cm in diameter, with 4 longitudinal sutures, yellow, orange or red and strongly smelling when ripe; seeds numerous, in whitish, slimy, sweet pulp.

C. micracantha is found in brushwood, hedges and open forest, also along the seashore and in sandy locations, mostly below 500 m altitude.

• [74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
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• [215] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948—1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
• [237] de Guzman, C.C. & Siemonsma, J.S. (Editors), 1999. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 13. Spices. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands. 400 pp.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [788] Pételot, A., 1952—1954. Les plantes médicinales du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam [The medicinal plants of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. 4 volumes. Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques et Techniques, Saigon, Vietnam.

• Capparis

• F.I. Windadri